Winona Fighter Has a New Earworm With “LEECH”
Winona Fighter has a knack for making a mental spiral sound like something worth screaming along to. “LEECH,” the latest single from the Nashville-based band’s upcoming sophomore album Brutal & Extremely Underrated, pairs a grungy pop-rock sound with lyrics that grow increasingly frantic as Coco Kinnon tries to make sense of what is happening inside her head.
“LEECH” is the second single from Brutal & Extremely Underrated, due January 22, 2027, via Rise Records. Following the confrontational “BOMBS AWAY,” Winona Fighter shifts its attention toward insecurity and internal turmoil.
The song opens with “I’m fleein’ all reason now / I’m bleedin’, I’m bleedin’ out,” establishing a sense of desperation that follows the track throughout. Kinnon circles back to these lines repeatedly, and each return reinforces the sense of being stuck in a thought pattern that refuses to let up. There is a restless quality to the song that suits its subject matter, with its pop-rock foundation giving the track a catchy edge.
“Tried to talk it out with the sky / Begging her to show me the way / Waited for a callback” captures the desperation behind the song, with Kinnon searching for answers before slipping into doubt again with, “maybe it’s all actually fake.”
The song's defining moment arrives when Kinnon attempts to explain the sensation consuming her. Her descriptions get increasingly uncomfortable, comparing it to being dragged through the rain by someone holding her hand, a waterlogged blanket, and a dog choking against its owner's leash; visually, in the music video, she has walls closing in on her. Then comes the line that gives the single its title: “Losing blood 'cause there's a leech.” The imagery in both the lyrics and visuals is vivid and deliberately uncomfortable. The repetition of “My head hurts” that follows leaves the frustration completely exposed. The words become blunt and repetitive, mirroring the anger of trying to quiet a mind that will not cooperate.
An appealing contradiction sits at the center of “LEECH.” Its subject matter grows increasingly grim, yet the song's pop-rock catchiness makes the lines stick in the listener's head. Winona Fighter understands that sometimes the thoughts that wear a person down are the same ones that refuse to leave them alone. By the time Kinnon returns to “I'm bleedin' out,” the phrase has become difficult to shake, much like the spiral that started it all.
Review by Bek Allegretti